Hospital Visits
by Tomo Potter
Summary: Artemis is in the hospital following the events of Atlantis Complex.  Holly helps him to deal with his issues, on his path to recovery.  AFHS.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Just read my brand new copy of Atlantis Complex (FINALLY bought it! After borrowing Fiona's copy for like, six months.) and it occurred to me that I haven't written ANYTHING AF since it came out. I intend to put that right. This is not a straight romance-adventure like I usually write, this fic is a bit more psychological, it's more about Artemis getting his mind straight. I promise I'll bring out some fluff soon, but in the mean time... I dunno, I just wanted to write something smart to distract myself.

IMPORTANT: I imagine you've heard on the news by now about the horrific devastation wreaked on my country on the 22nd of February in the form of an earthquake. Christchurch is devastated, and we need all the help we can get to try and rebuild one of the largest and oldest cities in the country. Redcross dot org dot nz forwardslash donate is the official website for donations, please give all the help you can, New Zealand is desperate for any aid we can get. Personally, my partner and I were on the way to Amanda Palmer's Christchurch concert when it happened... a few hours later and we almost certainly would have died, or at least been injured. This is serious, we are a country torn apart. Please, please, please, give generously if you can.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or settings you recognise. I intend to break no laws. Please don't sue me, I have no money.

**Hospital Visits**

"Ah, Holly. How nice of you to come see me."

"Still counting your words, then?" Holly asked with a sad smile, stepping into Artemis' room at Dr. Argon's mental health clinic.

"Yes. Sadly, I am... still." Artemis said clumsily, frowning at himself, disappointed even now in his own behaviour. The medication he was being brought every two hours like clockwork was making everything a confusing mess; one minute, he was disgusted in himself for being afraid of a simple number, the next he found himself hating and fearing his dearest friends for bringing him here, trapping him, drugging him to make him think he was crazy, taking away his brilliance. It was a disorientating nightmare.

"Poor guy." Holly said, sympathetically. "Is Doctor Argon still destroying your mind on my orders?" She asked, referring to an unpleasant showdown on her previous visit.

"Ye-no. No. I am here to get better, of my own free will, truly." Artemis smiled wearily, and Holly smiled back, appreciating just how hard her friend was fighting against his own mind.

"Good. I definitely prefer word-counting Artemis to paranoia Artemis."

"I prefer normal Artemis, myself." He sighed, eyes downcast.

"So do I. So does everyone. We'll get him back though, I promise." Holly said encouragingly, reaching out and gently taking Artemis' hand, lacing her tiny fingers through his long ones. "See, five fingers plus five fingers is makes ten fingers, and with ten fingers we just can't lose."

Artemis smiled, and was alarmed to find himself moved what felt like close to tears. As was his way, he resorted to logic to cover up his emotions. "Technically, the thumb is separate."

"Technically, my trigger finger is separate, remember?" Holly smiled, wiggling said finger. "Or, it would be, if it weren't for you."

"That's true." Artemis smiled back, hurriedly finishing off his emotionally blurted sentence to correct the number of words. "We've had a lot of close calls like that one over the years."

Holly continued to ignore the unnatural clumsiness of Artemis' speech. "I haven't forgotten." She grinned, and winked at him with the ice blue eye of his that she had exchanged for one of her own not so long ago.

"No, how could any of us? We've been through so much together in the past." Artemis smiled, giving Holly's hand a gentle squeeze. Her presence was bolstering his spirits, and he felt the cloud of buzzing fours loosening it's hold over him, deciding to challenge it while he still felt strong enough. "It's hard to believe."

"That's the spirit." Holly grinned, returning her friend's squeeze. "Frond, your hands are getting big."

Artemis nodded. "My feet are hanging off the bed. They still haven't found one big enough for me. I'll never be tall but I'm certainly getting taller."

Holly hadn't noticed the feet, but a quick lean confirmed Artemis' statement; his black socks looked slightly ridiculous hanging off the end of the bed.

"I must care about you, because it's very hard not to laugh right now." Holly smiled.

"Go ahead. Juliet giggles constantly every time she comes to see me. She seems to be better at the laugh-so-you-don't-cry technique than anyone else, my mother still weeps whenever she 's here." Artemis sighed, finding it hard to keep his mind from wandering to melancholy places today.

"You'll beat this, Artemis." Holly promised. "We'll all help you, as much as you need, for as long as it takes. You're not alone."

"I know." Artemis smiled timidly, as though his facial muscles were just learning how. "It just seems so hopeless sometimes. At least that imbecilic alter-ego of mine hasn't put in an appearance since they changed my pills."

"Small victories win wars." Holly smiled. There had been a week when one of Dr. Argon's medications brought Orion out in strength, and Artemis had been tossed violently from one persona to the other, interspersing conversations about family business or scientific developments with nauseating romantic sonnets (most, embarrassingly, with extremely flowery and wittering dedications to Holly herself) and demands for things like lace cravats and a cutlass with which to slay his foes. It had been a stressful time for all of them, and Holly wound up avoiding the clinic altogether until Orion was gone, just to make things easier, and less embarrassing on both of their accounts. The whole Orion incident, once the drama of everything that happened with Turnbull was over, had made things between Holly and Artemis even more awkward, the most uncomfortable they had been since their kiss in the past, though in some small way it gave Holly a bit of peace of mind, for while the kiss was undeniably her fault, the entire Orion travesty was down to Artemis' subconscious so now, in some small way, things were even again, though Artemis certainly didn't see it that way.

"So... they still feeding you alright?" Holly changed the subject, trying to distract Artemis from his terrifying helplessness.

Artemis nodded, though he found the small talk paltry, especially from someone who knew him as well as Holly did. "I had some kind of fungus broth for lunch. Apparently a traditional dwarf dish. Sometimes it just hits me how different our two cultures are."

"They're not that different." Holly protested. "Think of it as like having Indian food. Just another provincial dish."

"I suppose that makes sense." Artemis conceded, and fell silent, unwilling to ruin such a perfect five word sentence. Holly, seeing just what he had done, sighed.

"I know you, Artemis, and I know you're strong enough to beat this thing. You're too strong, and too stubborn to let this thing destroy your personality. Whatever you've done in the past, you're a good person, Arty, and you can beat this thing." She held his hand tightly and looked firmly into his mismatched eyes with her own.

"And I'm the crazy one." Artemis chuckled. "You have the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome in history."

Holly could not suppress a surprised laugh. "I guess I do. If anyone deserves it though, it's you. Frond knows I never thought I'd be holding your hand in a mental ward."

"It feels strange when we're not off on some adventure. For once, you have nothing to rib me about constantly." Artemis said teasingly.

"And you have nothing to look down on me for not understanding." Holly laughed back. "What do we talk about when we're not abusing each other?"

"For starters, we seem to reminisce about past abuse." Artemis joked. "Remember that time you had to ask me for help getting rid of a few goblins?"

"I remember rescuing your sorry arse from hoards of trolls." Holly grinned teasingly.

"Remember the time I worked to break you out of a heavily guarded French mansion?"Artemis retorted.

"Remember the time I saved Butler because you got him shot?" Holly was quick to respond, a grin playing around her lips and teeth.

"Remember when you kissed me?" Artemis raised an eyebrow in an almost professorial fashion, and despite her embarrassment Holly found it nearly impossible not to burst into laughter merely from the look on his face.

"Remember the time you proposed to me on bended knee?" Holly retorted, referring to the Week of Orion.

"Hey! That wasn't me. That was an alternate personality, generated by my illness. Don't take advantage of my mental anguish."

"Hey, don't forget I was much younger than I was supposed to be at the time. We both acted out of our normal mental states." Holly couldn't avoid her cheeks and the tips of her pointed ears reddening with embarrassment.

"Ah, but deep down you were still you. I was someone else altogether, fair maiden." Artemis smirked, and Holly eyed him suspiciously.

"Did you just call me fair maiden?"

"Aye, that I did, my sweetness." Artemis teased, in a slightly stronger Irish accent than usual. "For your beauty moves my poet's heart to tears of joy." Artemis wasn't sure why he was in such a playful mood; usually he would never tease Holly in such an uncouth way; he could only assume it was the result of the cocktail of medication working it's way through his system.

"Stop it, Artemis." Holly shoved him playfully with her elbow, catching on to the uncharacteristic jibe, and finding herself liking this previously unseen funny side of her friend. "Orion doesn't talk like that, nor does he smirk like a dwarf who's just unearthed a king's ransom."

"Drat. I take it my acting career is dead before it so much as begins." Artemis joked, a dry smile on his aristocratic face.

"Dead, cremated, and flushed out to sea." Holly confirmed, patting Artemis' shoulder consolingly with her free hand. She had almost forgotten that they were still holding hands, but the contact was comforting, and Holly felt no need to sever it any time soon. "And you definitely don't have the legs of a dancer. I don't know about your singing, but I'd say just keep off Broadway altogether."

"Duly noted." Artemis said, still wearing that dry smirk. "Modelling it is."

"Good luck with that." Holly smiled, suddenly looking at Artemis with new eyes. He was young yet, but his face seemed to be shaping up to be quite exceptionally handsome by human standards, with elegantly defined features, and deep, knowledgable eyes (one of which had once belonged to her, but she had to admit, if only to herself, that she definitely preferred it on him.) that seemed to draw attention all by themselves. Before long he would surely have eligible, wealthy women throwing themselves at his feet. Holly could not see Artemis being interested though; despite any future girlfriends having to cope with Artemis' fairy friends and wild adventures, Holly simply didn't see Artemis ever finding a human girl bright or challenging enough for him.

_'Human girl? What?'_ Holly quickly dragged her thoughts from the unsafe path they had been wandering down, and returned to the teasing conversation of before. "Let me know when your first centerfold comes out."

"Oh, it'll be right after the article about your first place in the bake off." Artemis teased in fives.

"Really, Artemis?" Holly raised an eyebrow. "It's hardly a woman's duty to do all the baking and housework anymore. This is the twenty first century, I have more important things to do. Besides, when's the last time _you_ cooked, Artemis?"

"Made Mulch a sandwich once." Artemis retorted sheepishly, referring to a mere pile of assorted food that would make Gordon Ramsey weep, were he not an unnaturally tall gnome working undercover for the LEP to distract humans from any thoughts of faeries with mindlessly addictive cooking programmes.

"A sandwich, or a war zone?" Holly snorted derisively, and was unable to suppress a grin at the embarrassed look on Artemis' face.

"I'd like to see you do better. Kitchens are hard." He blushed, clearly embarrassed at his utter lack of domesticity.

"Not all of us have manservants to tend to our every need." Holly smirked. "I can't remember the last meal I had that I didn't cook."

"Didn't we have takeaway curry last time you were here?" Artemis replied, sharp mind not betraying him for once.

"Yes, well... shut up." Holly said lamely, and held up four fingers of her free hand menacingly, to accentuate her point.

"Honestly, Captain Short, I would have expected more from you." Artemis smirked, his trademark 'better-than-you' expression back with a vengeance.

"Ah, there's the old Artemis Fowl we all know, and... well, know."Holly cocked an eyebrow challengingly, and Artemis, being himself (for once) accepted the challenge.

"Stooping to petty insults, Holly? This is so beneath you." Artemis said calmly, and of course Holly played the trump card she would hold for the rest of her long life.

"Counting your words, Arty? This is beneath you."

"You can't poison me with your wicked fours, Captain Short!" Artemis cried, clapping his free hand over his ear. Artemis, like Holly, had entirely forgotten that their hands were clasped, and decided that he was thankful for the contact; something real binding him to the world he knew was his. He drew in a deep breath, pushing the fours from his mind, and uncovered his ear, opening scrunched up eyes. "Sorry." he said sheepishly. "Sudden four attack there."

"Sorry, Arty." Holly said, ashamed. "That was my fault. It's not a joke. Sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. I know I'm better than this, I just can't help it. I feel like it's going to kill me if I don't give in to it."

"I know." Holly said, stroking the smooth back of Artemis' no doubt manicured hand with her thumb. "It's okay. Nobody expects you to make an instant recovery. You just do what you have to, and we'll all be waiting. And I'll try to stop making fun of you."

"_I_ expect to make an instant recovery though." Artemis sighed. "I just want to be normal again."

"I know, Arty. You'll get there." Holly smiled encouragingly. "Imagine that. Artemis Fowl, wanting to be normal. Never thought I'd see the day." If she were entirely honest, Holly would admit to being somewhat worried. In all the years they had known each other she had seen Artemis exhausted, terrified, overwhelmed, and in shock, but never had he looked... defeated. That was, until now.

"Guess who's the most shocked?" Artemis smiled sadly. "I'm so unlike myself, it's absolutely terrifying. Five five five." He added, to complete the sentence, and accentuate his point."

It hit Holly all over again just how vulnerable Artemis was right now. Sure, they had joked and laughed before, but since when did Artemis Fowl joke and laugh like that? There was clearly something wrong, and she felt bad for not realising it sooner. "Doctor Argon will fix you. He's the best psychiatrist we have."

"Could you say four more words to complete the sentence?" Artemis asked, and Holly's heart broke a little at the genuine concern in his measured speech.

"You will be fine." Holly smiled encouragingly. "And that's a promise from me to you, Artemis Fowl." She counted the sentence off on her spare fingers, and Artemis smiled gratefully.

"Thank you." He rested back, closing his eyes sleepily. "I'm so tired. I'm always so tired now."

"Do you want me to go so you can rest?" Holly asked caringly, resting her free hand on his warm cheek.

Artemis shook his head, clearly having been struck by one of the sudden drowsy spells the medication caused. "Don't want you to go."

"I'll stay right here, then." Holly smiled, brushing his fringe out of his eyes automatically. Holly didn't even realise what she was doing until Artemis opened his hazel eye, the warmer of the two, and looked at her in confusion.  
"You're touching my face. Why?" He asked, tones still muddled by tiredness.

"I... I don't really know." Holly blushed, withdrawing her hand.

"Don't." Artemis said, reaching up with his free hand to take hers. "It felt nice. Thanks."

"You get some rest, Arty." Holly smiled, resuming her gentle caresses. "I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise."

"Thank you." Artemis said again. "Five five five." His tone was very drowsy, and the final five was nothing more than a whisper. Artemis' hand quickly grew slack in Holly's, and his breathing changed, deepening as all his muscles relaxed. Holly could not suppress a sad smile as Artemis was finally able to escape his troubles, if only for a while, and she continued to gently brush at his hair, not sure what else to do with herself.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: It's kind of painful for me to write Artemis so out of character, but I've made up a set of rules for Atlantis Complex, since there isn't a huge amount of canon information, so please, grant me some artistic license for this one. Also, Doctor Argon is probably HORRIBLY out of character but I lent all of my Artemis Fowl books to a former friend around a year ago and haven't seen them since, so it's been a while since I read any of them, and I don't reeeeally remember what he was like, apart from a slight put on limp. I think. Maybe. So I've written him as generic as possible. I may edit this when I get my books back but I'm lazy so more realistically his character might just suddenly change somewhere down the line. DEAL WITH IT.

Disclaimer: I own no characters or situations. I'm poor and useless. Please don't sue me.

**Hospital Visits**

"Morning, sleepy." Holly smiled, relieved to see Artemis' mismatched eyes drag themselves open. After half an hour of sitting on the side of his bed, nothing to do, she was getting rather uncomfortable, not to mention bored. She had promised to be there when he awoke though, and there she would be.

"Hark! An angel awaits my return from slumber, watching faithfully over my bedside. Holly dearest, it has been too long since we last spoke." It was clearly not Artemis who spoke, and Orion clutched tighter onto Holly's hand, shifting himself into a seated position.

"Great. You." Holly groaned.

"Indeed it is great! At last, you are freed from Artemis and his boorish ways, to be wooed by a true gentleman. I simply can not believe that oaf fell asleep while you so lovingly caressed his face, for I would have leaped upon the chance to express our undying love for you, dear Captain. That imbecile is no use whatsoever."

"Terrific." Holly sighed, extracting her hand forcibly from Orion's. "If you so much as move a finger off that bed Frond help me I will break every bone in your body. I'm going to get the doctor."

"As you wish, my formidable warrior queen!" Orion wittered and Holly growled, storming from the room in search of Doctor Argon. Luckily, the doctor happened to be on his two hourly visit to Artemis' room, pills in hand, and Holly almost crashed right into him coming out the door.

"Ack! Watch where you're going, Captain Short." Doctor Argon said indignantly, straightening his lab coat with a tug.

"Urgent situation, Doctor. Artemis' alternate persona has put in an appearance." Holly always reverted to more military terms when uncomfortable; it helped her feel in command of the situation, and nearly always worked, though she had long since learned that Artemis had no trouble ignoring her command voice.

"Oh. Yes, Captain, I'll see to it at once. His pills should take care of the worst of it." Doctor Argon rushed into the room the best he could with his bad leg, cuplet of pills extended. "If that doesn't work, I'll give him an injection in about ten minutes, should get it gone."

"Good." Holly said gruffly, and watched in silence from the corner while the poor doctor reasoned and struggled with the moronic Orion, trying to convince him to take his pills. The boy wouldn't so much as glance at them until Holly called from across the room that the pills would unlock his true powers, at which point he grabbed for the paper cup, tossing all seven tablets down at once with excitement.

"When will they kick in?"

"About a minute or two." Doctor Argon promised, though his eyes were locked on Holly. "If they haven't worked in five, press the red button by the bed and I'll get his shot ready."

"Thank you, Doctor." Holly said crisply with a small nod, and Doctor Argon took this as his excusal, scuttling off. He wasn't normally one to fear the LEP, but Captain Short had made it very clear upon Artemis' admission that were he to receive anything but the absolute best care Doctor Argon's clinic had to offer, Holly would be taking it personally, and there was a chance the good doctor would wake up missing a few vital pieces of himself.

"Sweet Holly, when my powers are awakened we shall leave all this behind, and fly to my Irish Estate, where I shall provide you with dresses fit for such a beauty, and there we shall be wedded, beneath the boughs of a Holly tree, to symbolise the truth and depth of my undying love for you."

"Terrific. Do you feel anything yet?" Holly asked, arms folded in her most no-nonsense fashion.

"I feel..." Orion paused, seriously considering the matter. "I feel... more grounded. My lighthearted nature is dissipating before my very eyes! You've tricked me, heartless beauty! I feel him coming back!"

"Excellent." Holly said grimly, watching Orion writhe in terror, until he stopped, looking up at Holly with the familiar serious, thoughtful features she knew as the true Artemis Fowl.

"Holly, I'm sorry." Artemis said sadly, and Holly sighed in relief, crossing the room and resuming her seat on his bedside.

"Don't worry about it. It's not you, like you said. No harm, no foul, eh?" Holly grinned, but Artemis ignored her pun altogether, a brooding expression on his features.

"He's still here. I feel it. I'm mostly me, but there's still a bit of him in me. This has never happened before." Artemis' tone was deeply concerned, and Holly set joking aside, responding seriously.

"How do you know? What feels different?" She asked, taking his hand again.

Artemis faltered at her touch, before responding. "I can't focus my thoughts. They're flitting everywhere. I'm fighting the urge to spout gibberish poetry at you. How is he doing this?"

"He's part of you, you know. A suppressed part, but still there. Maybe he's just a little less suppressed now." Holly said cautiously, wondering if Artemis' carefree mood earlier related to this newfound mental confusion. "You've spent so long being focused and closed off maybe this was bound to happen, Atlantis or no. There are parts of your personality you've never even explored, parts sitting there waiting to be useful. Maybe the Orion part is just ready to come out."

"If you make a damn puberty joke I swear I will make the rest of your long life hell." Artemis growled in a voice very unlike his own, and Holly was stunned into silence for a moment, at how not-himself her friend was.

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying... you've got other sides you don't know about. You didn't know you could be compassionate until you met me. Maybe Orion's another part of you you've spent too long pushing aside." Holly said gently, keeping her pressure on his hand firm and even; a link back to what was real.

"Maybe." Artemis flopped back on his pillow, aggression drained from him all at once. "Maybe you're right. I don't know anymore. I don't know anything, I've completely lost the ability to think straight."

"Don't worry about it. You know noone expects you to." Holly said soothingly, stroking his face again. "Just wait for a bit, the medication will kick in, and he'll be gone before long."

"It's strange though. I can hardly focus, and I'm having to force myself not to speak like a flowery imbecile, but I'm not bothered by numbers right now. They're gone. And I don't think anyone's betraying me. I feel free. But trapped at the same time." Artemis groaned, rubbing his temples with the thumb and forefinger of his free hand.

"It'll be okay, Artemis." Holly promised, squeezing the palm of the hand on his face with her fingertips. "We all know and care for who you are, and even if this changes you, nobody's feelings towards you will change."

"Feelings, eh?" Artemis snapped before he could stop himself, then groaned. "See what I mean? He's right there below the surface. I can't make him go."

"We'll get you that shot." Holly said, removing her hand to press the red button by his bed urgently with her thumb, before returning to stroking Artemis' hair. "You're going to get through this. Hell, this might even be a breakthrough. You might be on the way to getting better." Holly smiled encouragingly, and Artemis considered it.

"I could be. Or I could be sinking deeper." He said gloomily.

"Doctor Argon will know when he gets here." Holly said reassuringly, threading her tiny fingers through Artemis' hair.

"He will." Artemis sighed in relief, closing his eyes and falling silent, keeping his struggle internal, where it belonged.

"Here we are!" Doctor Argon rushed through the door with a medical cart a short time later, hurrying to Artemis' bedside. Holly stepped back at once, reluctant as she was to release her friend in such distress. Doctor Argon took no notice of their closeness, hurrying in to Holly's vacated spot and taking Artemis' arm, swabbing the inner elbow quickly with steriliser. Holly saw the look of pain on Artemis' closed off face as the doctor put the syringe-gun to his elbow and clicked it, discharging the chemicals quickly into Artemis' system. He pressed cotton wool to the area for a few seconds to stop the bleeding, then secured it there with a sliver of medical tape.

"That should do the trick." Doctor Argon smiled encouragingly, clearing up his tray quickly. "Any symptoms other than the other personality surfacing?" He directed the question to Holly, being of sound mind as she was.

"I feel him." Artemis responded in a pained voice. "I'm me, but he's right there, trying to make me do things. I can't make him stop."

"I see." Doctor Argon nodded, taking a seat and pulling out the notepad and pen he always had at the ready in his left pocket.

"His number related fears and paranoia are completely gone, but the Orion personality is still present in his normal state." Holly summed up in her most military tone, hands at ease behind her back.

"Fascinating." Doctor Argon nodded, scrawling notes quickly. "It appears young master Fowl has entered the first stage of Atlantis recovery. Excellent. I'll leave you for a time for the medication to take effect, but shall we say a meeting to discuss your feelings in an hour, master Fowl?"

"Yes, fine." Artemis grunted and the doctor limped away with his cart, apparently satisfied with things as they were.

"Feel any better?" Holly asked, approaching his bed once again.

"A bit." Artemis said, eyes still screwed up. "It'll take a while to work, but I think he's starting to weaken."

"Good." Holly smiled encouragingly, stroking Artemis' forehead. "Just let me know if there's anything I can do."

"Books."Artemis said suddenly, eyes flashing open. "I need books. Of course. Why haven't I tried reading up on Atlantis Complex before this?"

"I... don't know." Holly said, stunned by the sudden urgency of Artemis' request. "I'll see if I can find any books on the subject."

"Thank you." Artemis smiled an unnervingly sincere smile. "If I am entering the recovery phase I see no reason why I shouldn't know as much as possible about what is affecting me in order to find the most effective way to combat it."

"And you're sounding like yourself again." Holly sighed. She had forgotten how curt and efficient Artemis could be when he had a goal.

"Excellent." Artemis smiled, this time his own familiar smile, with depths of thought and plans behind it. "That sounds more like recovery than some unearthed side of myself surfacing."

"I suppose..." Holly said warily. This was not Artemis so much as hyper-Artemis; a more extreme seeming version of his usual personality. "So you're not feeling Orion any more?"

"Certainly not." Artemis replied curtly, smoothing his sheets and sitting up straighter. "I feel perfectly myself."

"I can tell." Holly nodded, wondering if the injection hadn't perhaps been a bit too far. "Do you want to get some rest or something?"

"Why would I? For the first time in months I am in full possession of my mental facilities, I intend to use them to their full capacity while I can." Artemis paused, and his facial expression changed slightly. "Why? Don't you want me to read about it?" Another pause. "I knew it! You want me to stay in here! You're working for Foaly, I knew it! That sadistic centaur is threatened by my genius, so he sent you and that useless excuse for a doctor to incapacitate me in this hell!" By the end of his sentence Artemis was yelling, and Holly had to step back, pausing to regroup before trying to reason with the most unreasonable side of Artemis' delusions.

"Of course not, Artemis. We're your friends, we would never do that." She pleaded, but Artemis was too far gone to reach.

"Friends! You've even roped my mother into this, friends mean nothing! Even Butler, my most faithful ally is against me!" He cried, carefully smoothed blankets ruffled once more as Artemis tried to free himself from the blankets and various tubes and wires fed around his bed. "You can't keep me here, I'll find my way back to the surface and use my superior intellect to take down your tyrannical leader!"

"Artemis, calm down, please?" Holly reached out gently to restrain Artemis, a task she found simple despite his size; for a fifteen year old, Artemis was unbelievably scrawny.

"NO! You can't keep me prisoner!" Artemis cried out, just as Doctor Argon dashed into the room yet again, this time with a clipboard, a notebook, and another syringe.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T HAVE MY MIND!" Artemis hollered, fighting more desperately against Holly, who somehow managed to pin one of his flailing arms long enough for the doctor to jab the needle in. Artemis thrashed a bit longer then settled, eyes closed, arms still tensed.

"What did you give him?" Holly asked, panting slightly from the struggle.

"Just a mild sedative." The doctor explained, wiping sweat from his forehead nervously. "He'll be out for maybe half an hour. It should give his system time to work out the worst of the medication."

"And what exactly has this medication done to him?" Holly asked harshly, turning her back from Artemis' slumbering form to focus her anger on the doctor. Certainly before coming here, her friend had been anything but himself, but these sudden swings from delusion to delusion were almost worse.

"In the first stage of recovery from Atlantis Complex, sufferers often experience what is best described as a merging of personalities. Mister Fowl must have excellent mental control, it often takes years to reach this stage. Medication balance and supervision becomes crucial at this point, as the slightest trigger can tip him from one symptom to another. As soon as he wakes up I'll do an interview with him, see what stage of the recovery he's up to, and adjust his medication accordingly. The next few weeks will be rocky, and he may not be the nicest person to visit, but I really think he's got a shot at total rehabilitation." The doctor adjusted his notes as he spoke, pausing occasionally to scrawl things on various pages and boxes on the clipboard he carried.

"I see. So, visiting may not be pleasant, but will it be helpful?" Holly asked, folding her arms gruffly.

"Hard to say. Artemis displays a strong emotional attachment to friends and family, especially yourself, Captain. Your presence could serve as a link to the world he knows, or it could tip him into fits of paranoia, or give the Orion persona enough strength to surface fully. Everything at this stage is very wait-and-see."

Holly nodded curtly, glancing back at Artemis. "I'll alert you when he wakes up, doctor."

"Yes, Captain Short." Doctor Argon could sense that he was being dismissed, and took the opportunity to scuttle from the room as fast as he could.

Alone once more at last, Holly settled into the previously unused chair she had set by Artemis' bed, and waited. Waiting wouldn't normally be a problem for her soldier-trained mind, but stuck in this situation, with a mentally unwell Artemis sleeping next to her, and not knowing what he would be like when he awoke, Holly felt restless. After a couple of minutes of sitting, her unrest naturally turned to worry. _'What if Artemis is never the same again? What if he doesn't recover from this? What if he gets so bad he doesn't even recognise me anymore? What if he loses to Orion, and I spend the next few decades babysitting that nincompoop?' _Holly closed her eyes, massaging her temples and trying to block out her horrid, unsettling thoughts. The stress proved too much, and before long she was fast asleep, vivid, flashing dreams darting beneath her eyelids.

"Holly? Wake up please, Holly." Holly's eyes flashed open, kicking herself instantly for falling asleep in such an important situation.

"What? Artemis? Are you you?" She asked, stretching in her chair and looking worriedly into her friend's confused eyes.

"I think so. I can still feel Orion though, and that horrible other me. Holly, I am so sorry for that." Artemis said sincerely, and Holly detected the strange pattern in his speech right away.

"Fives again now? Really, Artemis?" Holly raised an eyebrow, counting her words for his comfort.

"It keeps the others at bay. Fives keep me safe." He said resignedly, sitting up straighter. Holly finished her stretch and returned to her seat on the side of his bed,

"That's fair enough, I suppose." Holly conceded. "Just remember, you're stronger than this. You can beat it."

"I hope so." Artemis smiled wearily. "It'd be nice just to go home."

"I know." Holly sighed, taking his long, elegant hand in her tiny, combat-weary one once more. "I should probably let the doctor know you're awake again." Holly reached out and touched the red button on the wall.

"Three more words, please Holly." Artemis asked sadly, eyes clearly showing that he knew just how bad this was, but could do nothing to help it.

"Oh... um... five." Holly said awkwardly. "Does that count... Artemis Fowl?" Her voice was forced as she strained to construct sentences according to word count, rather than meaning.

"I suppose it has to." Artemis smiled awkwardly, and they fell silent, eye contact speaking where words became too complicated.


End file.
